Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

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I thought my turn would never come around.

Hush, you.

Alright, guess that's the end of that chapter.

I... Okay, yeah, sorry.

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Act IV: Piabo

Reset

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Michael has this little thing where the first words of all the parts involve him introducing himself with "My name is Michael," whether as a narration like at the beginning of the previous part or as something he actually said like at the beginning of the first part. Atrapol kind of copied him with his little "I am Atrapol" earlier too. Also, Michael's using the word "Act" instead of "Part" even though the latter really makes more sense. It's not a play structure, it's more like books in a series. And I think I've gotten a little off track.

Ah, fuck it. My name's Piabo. I'm a Danian. You Humans sometimes call us bug-people. It's not inaccurate. Specifically, I'm a mandiblor, part of the so-called "worker" caste of the Danian Hive.

I'm going to try my best to keep in mind that you're (probably) a Human while I'm writing, but if I mess up, don't worry. Michael's going to read my stuff before it gets posted. If Michael misses something, though, well, tough shit.

I'm not going to go through the whole description of what I went through before I caught up with Michael, but I will be starting on the first day of this "Reset". (Michael, make that the title of this chapter.)

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One day, Humans arrive on Perim, and the world goes to hell.

Not immediately for most people. Most Humans across Perim will find their sudden circumstances bewildering, but not immediately disastrous. Most natives of Perim would be only inconvenienced by the new arrivals since the Humans have not yet started to find a foothold in their world. No, the world only immediately goes to hell for the unfortunate few, such as a young bug about to drift off to sleep.

The young bug is me, by the way.

I am wide awake in an instant, my mind suddenly filled with the memories of more lifetimes than I would have been able to count seconds earlier. I lay paralyzed as my physical brain rushes to catch up with a mind more complex than it is currently able to handle. I remember dying, over and over. I remember escaping death, over and over. I remember people that I've no longer met, events that no longer happened.

Step one: Don't panic.

This step is usually a lot easier. Most of the time I know it's coming, either because I'm dying slowly or because I know that the guy responsible for all of this just bit the dust. For all I knew, he was perfectly fine, so I didn't get the chance to get my panic out of the way ahead of time.

Step two: Bite something.

Last time I bit my arm. That wasn't a good idea. As soon as the feeling returns to my body, I scramble for the boundary around my nest and shove one of the wooden blocks into my mouth.

Step three: Block out everyone.

Danians have a power. Hivecall. Hivesense. Lots of flowery terms for it beginning with the word hive. Our thoughts and emotions are constantly reaching out to each other, generating a gentle hum or buzz of... of family, I guess. Even far from Mount Pillar, we're still connected. It's a warning signal, a communication line, a brain Internet of sorts. And I've been screaming into that buzz for the past few seconds.

I close my eyes. I strain my jaws and mandibles together. I reach out to it, that thing that makes me a Danian, the most important power one of us possesses...

...And I snuff it out.

I can hear again. Scrabbling of claws against the stone floor. Two creatures rushing into my room. Two Danians. Tanto, a mandiblor like me, and Mudo, a two-legged, four-armed battlemaster. My babas, my caretakers.

"Piabo! Are you alright?" It's Tanto. His antennae are vibrating, his arms trembling. Mudo mutely stares at me, worry clutching his throat.

Step four: Hide it.

I reach back out with the Danian power. The hivecall. I reach out to my babas, wrapping their minds in mine. I find the worry, the fear, the confusion.

I push.

My babas blink. The bodies relax a little, but not all the way. Something odd has happened, they can tell, but what?

I take the block out of my mouth and sit up. "Baba? What is wrong?" No apostrophes, not until I've spoken with a Human.

Tanto rubs his right eye. "I... Are you well, Bibi?"

"Tired," I yawn. Reach out, push away into the air how sleepy I am.

Mudo's mandibles quiver and he tilts his head to the side. "Are you certain? I thought I-"

Push.

"...I... What was it?" Mudo looks at Tanto, who shakes his head in a daze. "Apologies. Please, try and-"

Tanto and Mudo go rigid. I copy them. They're hearing the alert, the hivecall. Intruders in Mount Pillar, origin unknown. I would be hearing it too, but I've separated myself from it. Almost immediately after that will come an alert that the creatures are all over the Pillar. High alert.

Tanto and Mudo share a glance that lasts a moment and holds an entire conversation. Tanto rushes up to me, turns sideways, and brings his abdomen to his ankles, making a shield between me and the rest of the room. Mudo slips out of my room, and moments later returns carrying two curved swords, one held out to Tanto, one for himself.

"What is happening?" I ask, pushing out an aura of alarm and fear.

"Do not worry, Piabo," Tanto says, stroking my head with one hand while accepting the sword with the other. "Go back to sleep. Baba will sing you a song."

I curl up next to Tanto. "Oh..."

My babas watch the doors while Tanto sings.

"Little bibi digs a tunnel, see how far he goes.
"Little bibi finds a baddie, bops it on its nose.
"Little bibi, strong and witty, always doing more.
"Little bibi, precious bibi, my dear mandiblor."

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That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm sorry for getting frustrated.

I mean, I have an easier time of it. It's okay that you got upset that I took such a long time.

Still.

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Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.